Catherine, who is married to fellow actor Michael Douglas, 66, and is mom to Dylan, 10, and Carys, 8, checked into Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut for help earlier this month as she struggled to deal with mounting depression.

The brave actress is speaking out about her bi-polar battle with the hope that it may help others seek help, telling PEOPLE: “This is a disorder that affects millions of people and I am one of them.

“The simple things would just seem overwhelming, like going out to dinner,” says the close friend. “There was just a little piece of her chipped away. It was hard to watch because I knew how hard she was trying.”